Mock Newbery 2026 discussion

I'm so excited to be kicking off our 2023 reading with Northwind by Gary Paulsen.

What did you think of Gary Paulsen's final publication?

“Well, you hope the road you follow
Will lead you to the sea
And you hope that time allows you
To start livin’ free
But when the world is busy
And the way is hard to see
When tomorrow comes
Will you remember?”
– Jorma Kaukonen, “Corners Without Exits” (1974)

“But there was more to it than just a game. They seemed to have such a definite purpose that when he watched more closely he could see they were using the rocks in some way. Perhaps to clean their sides and belly. They were carefully moving their bodies, rolling from side to side, rubbing at the inlet’s bottom with their faces, back down to their tails, flukes, and even these they carefully dragged across the stones.
And when the adults were done, they worked at teaching the young ones, who had been watching but not trying, to go to the end of the inlet and start passing and rolling across. Initially they simply didn’t understand and would go the wrong way, or head out of the inlet, or forget to roll, or just do one side, or pick up one of the stones and head-flip it skittering across the surface and try to hit it with their tail. They were, Leif thought, like a pack of young dogs and and he laughed out loud until he noticed that one of the whales, the big male–perhaps hearing the sound of his laugh–moved slowly away from the juveniles and stopped, lying right next to the canoe, almost touching, so that his body was between the canoe and the rest of the pod who were still trying to get the youngsters–Leif actually thought of them as pups–to start using the rocks correctly.
And there he stayed.
Not being aggressive, not even threatening.
Just there.
Protecting.”

In the distant past, in a fictional north land reminiscent of Scandinavia, a cholera epidemic decimates the populace. As conditions rapidly deteriorate, an orphan named Leif, a boy who has been raised among the wharves, boats, and fishing nets, and has generally been treated like an indentured servant, is given a wooden canoe and told to head north, away from the dead and dying.

NORTHWIND is a beautifully crafted survival tale by the late great Gary Paulsen. It features the boy all alone in the world except for the other creatures with whom he shares his journey. The story is filled with cinematic descriptions of the boy and the canoe moving northward, as Leif first recuperates from his own near-fatal bout with the sickness, and then begins to make a real go of the journey. The tale brings Leif and the readers into contact with bears, raptors, and the creatures of the sea. We can taste the “rich thickness” of that big male whale’s exhaled breath, salty and fishy, as he rolls past the boy. We visualize the dorsal fin sticking up that Leif is just dying to reach out and touch.

As the most recent wave of death from COVID finally begins to subside, tweens and teens will be moved by this poetic and gripping story set amidst a long-ago pandemic.

Some younger kids may be less entranced about the subtlety of the action here–more “man learns to live in harmony with the immensity and majesty of nature” instead of your typical “man conquers nature” yarn. But many young readers will be drawn to the dreamlike quality of Leif’s adventure and the literary writing, which is stunning and memorable. Many will readily imagine themselves in that canoe, trying to figure out how the dolphins navigate the tricky ocean currents and whirlpools, so they can safely paddle through the frequently dangerous conditions.

It’s tough saying bye to Gary Paulsen, who passed away a few months ago. Paulsen's work will be long remembered, undoubtedly to be shared, loved, and passed down for generations to come.

The man did not lose his touch. Beautifully written.

Richie- what a fantastic review. Perfect description.

I look forward to the discussion on I Must Betray You by Sepetys. It’s about the Romanian Revolution of 1989. 35% into the book a seventeen year old boy asks
“Does the world know what’s happening in Romania? If they did . . . would they do something?”
In light of what’s happening today.,,

I have to admit that Northwind was a DNF for me. I found the first few chapters a bit confusing and if I, a former English teacher, struggled a bit with the narrative there, I imagine many students would as well. Paulson's writing is beautiful, but I found the story reminded me of Pixar's The Good Dinosaur in that the audience is supposed to be engaged by the quiet observation of story and survival without a lot of driving plot or character connection. Is this what survival looks like for a young boy in the wilderness? Yes. Was it redundant and dry for this reader? Also, yes. I can see this being good for others, but I did not like it and I wonder how many kids will like the quietness of it.

NORTHWIND by Gary Paulsen is his last book. So it is appropriate that it starts with a long section about facing death and contemplating the bridge to Valhalla.

After escaping from a plague, Leif employs his survival skills as he travels north by sea. Contains detailed descriptions of finding food, creating fire, building shelter and encountering bears. Beautiful portrayals of scenery, ocean currents and pods of whales. It may be slow paced for some readers but the quality writing makes it a treasure. Paulsen concludes the book with an affirmation of life.

I must join the voices of dissent here. This is an old person book. It is not a Newbery book - at least for me. I have tried to get interested in it several times now and it just speaks to me of death and peace with leaving the known world. Yes, Paulsen can write. Yes, the writing is beautiful and evocative. No, it is not interesting for kids. Give me Hatchet any day. This book is a DNF for me, too.

I remember being riveted by Paulsen's Hatchet as a third grader. Surviving on turtle eggs and fish hunting fascinated me. In Hatchet the destination of the story was Brian's rescue. I wondered if and when he'd be found, and those questions kept me reading page after page.

Northwind was less riveting because there was no real destination, nothing driving the story along. For me, the story felt anticlimactic and a little unrealized. There was no exciting place where I was waiting for Leif to arrive. When he gets far enough north, he just turns back around to go south again. I'm sure there are kids out there who will still like this book, but I don't think this is Paulsen's best.

Agree that this book would have limited appeal to younger readers - I struggled to finish it, as it’s seemed to drift along without a climax or resolution.

I have been working on this title for a very long time. I should have been finished in a day or two. The writing is beautiful and three cheers for the editor. But it is sooooo boring. I am hanging in there for now. This is not a fun read :(

This group reviews books that we think could be considered for the Newbery award. If I keep that in mind, and review what the actual committee will be looking at (NOT popularity or appeal), then I think this book would definitely be one that they will consider. I believe it makes a distinguished contribution to children's literature - unique and powerful vocabulary and imagery. The presentation of the setting and the characters is so wonderful, I felt like I was traveling along with Leif in that canoe. I think this one is worthy of consideration.

LS wrote: "This group reviews books that we think could be considered for the Newbery award. If I keep that in mind, and review what the actual committee will be looking at (NOT popularity or appeal), then I ..."

This is all true. The ALA should start taking the appeal of a book into account when determining a winner. Afterall, these are books written for children to be read by or to children. Encouraging, purchasing, making required reading-you name it, a book to a child because it won a Newbery isn't always the best way to go. There is no quicker way to turn a child off reading than to force a book upon a child who has no interest in it. A Newbery book should have all of those wonderful qualities that you stated. Is that enough anymore? Especially with all the distractions that fill up the daily lives of most kids. We all have a pretty good idea if a child will enjoy the book we are reading in our group each month. Do I want a book to win that I know most children won't enjoy and benefit from? Absolutely not. Hopefully the ALA will consider a change in their criteria to include overall appeal to children. It would make more kids excited about reading a Newbery, reading in general and becoming life long readers. That should really be the goal of the awards.

I think Northwind is a beautiful story and definitely distinguish. I also think, in the right setting, all children would enjoy this book as a read aloud. As educators, we need to be expanded children's minds to look at the world in different ways. With all the fast paced distractions these kids have, it is important to slow them down to enjoy something slow paced. Maybe most children would not decide to read this book on there own, but I don't think the committee should change their criteria. We shouldn't be dumbing down books just to get kids to read them. Kids are smart and should be challenged to grow their minds with the unfamiliar.

I enjoyed Paulsen's Northwind. I can see it being awarded an honor as other Paulsen books have received.

I didn't love this book. It just fell flat for me. I didn't love the ending and it was hard to follow in parts.

I just finished reading Northwind today. This is the first Gary Paulsen book I have read though I'd heard many good things about his work. Personally for me though I think this book is well written it felt slow and was hard for me to get into. While a decent book I'm not sure it's quite Newbery worthy.

I thought Northwind was so beautiful! I was trying to pick a favorite quote to share but had a hard time narrowing down to just one. There were lovely themes and realizations shared from the perspective of Leif. I read aloud some parts to my husband and he enjoyed it as well!

Breanna wrote: "I thought Northwind was so beautiful! I was trying to pick a favorite quote to share but had a hard time narrowing down to just one. There were lovely themes and realizations shared from the perspe..."

I agree! The read aloud potential for this book is so high! The words and phrasing is masterful and emotional.

Although I loved Northwind, I don't feel it is Paulsen's best nor Newbery worthy. I love Gary, became a mini expert on him during grad school over 20 years ago, and have had the honor and privilege of meeting him and then hosting him. What I found most poignant about this story was that it appears to be a reflection on his approach to life and learning. There were so many examples of this among Leif's thought processes. I also love that Gary dedicated the book to Jennifer Flannery.